JoJo626

I'd love to have a preceptor like you! I will be in preceptorship next month before graduating in May with an ADN. Facilities for preceptorship are extremely limited here, and I fear being put in a facility where the entire staff with the exception of 1 or 2 RNs are downright rude to students.

My husband went to NOLA after Hurricane Katrina with his Air Nat'l Guard unit. A lot of the guys got MRSA. He got that PLUS a strep infection of one leg. The MDs were worried it was NF, but fortunately it was not. He was so loaded up on antibiotics. To make it even worse, he had a gout attack on top of the infections. The gout ended up getting him out of service.

From the OP I take it the MAs were generic-off-the-street-on-the-job-trained MAs and not Certified or Registered MAs. I am a CMA (AAMA) for almost 12 yrs. and a SPN. It burns my bum that so many clinical people in MD offices are just pulled off the street and trained in-house. The MDs do that to save $$$. I went to school for 2 yrs and have to have CPR and CEUs to recertify, but I had one MD offer me $6.00/hr (before min. wage went up this last time). I laughed in his face. I'm so sorry you had this experience. I really don't see how they screwed up giving you Gardasil instead of varicella vaccine. Gardasil comes in a premeasured syringe. I've only seen varicella in a multi-dose vial. Personally, I bleed like a stuck pig after any injection. It always scares the CMA/LPN.

My thoughts and prayers are with you!!!! I agree with the advise of others in regards to the boot camps. Several of my friends through the years have had to send their kids for some "tough love". Almost all of them came back respectful productive members of society. I cannot believe the "powers that be" only have to give 3-day notice. That is unreal, especially with children. Most single people can't find alternate living arrangements in that amount of time. Best of luck to you and your family! You can do anything you set your mind to do!!!!!!!!!

I had the same problems. My fix came with 3/4-length orthotic inserts (Dr. Scholl's type--a LOT cheaper than seeing podiatrist). I slip them in which ever pair of shoes I'm wearing. It took a few days for the pain to completely go away, but I'm pain free now. Last week I tried on a pair of Sketchers that have the "rocker sole" that are supposed to tone your legs while you walk. They were the most comfortable shoes I have EVER tried on!!!! I'm trying to talk DH into buying me a pair for clinicals (they're $99) since I quit my job to go back to school full time.

Sharpie retractable is "da Bomb!" Guard them with your life! I had to threaten co-workers to stay away from mine. . . lol

I was diagnosed with CFS initially, but the CFS was brought on by having Lyme Disease. Most screening tests for Lyme miss many more positives than they catch. The Igg/Igm Western Blot done through Igenex labs in California are much more accurate (cost ~$190.00 prepay) I would come home and crash, literally, on the couch and not move until I got into bed. With a few months of antibiotics, I was my old self again. In fact, I felt so good I decided to start nursing school. I still take Flexeril and Neurontin to get good sleep and to control pain, but the difference is amazing. Unfortunately, I now have fibromyalgia (again triggered by the Lyme), but my doctor added Cymbalta to my other meds and have been doing good for the last year. My doctor advises his CFS/fibro/Lyme patients to take LOTS of B12 and Vit C. Massage therapy helps. Deplin or Cerefolin NAC are Rxs he prescribes a lot in addition to flexeril, neurontin, cymbalta (or Savella), and sometime Xanaflex, Soma, or for people with really bad problems he'll give narcotics. Stress will trigger relapses, so do whatever works for you to destress. All the Best!

I was working in a hematology/oncology office in Central La. during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. It was horrible trying to help people who were receiving chemo and not having access to their records. One memorable pt. came in stating he had "bone cancer" and needed his extensive list of meds refilled but didn't really want to get "treatment". The MD scheduled him for a PET (i think) to see how bad his "cancer" was and start his treatment. She gave him enough pain meds to make it through the test and come back for f/u. The dude never showed up for testing. We rescheduled; he no-showed again. Then he wanted r/f on pain meds. MD wouldn't refill meds until he had test and f/u visit. We never heard from him again. It's amazing how people run scams during disasters

i have experienced that at every office where i have worked. one office a "ya-hoo" receptionist who couldn't find her butt with a hand full of fish hooks, took the messages. she would just write refill "b/p med" or misspell meds or totally screw up the messages. (she was related to the ya-hoo office manager, so she never got called on it). i'd have to call the patient to verify which b/p med or whatever. i finally got so fed up that the lpn and i made office policy to accept routine med refill requests if they were faxed directly from the pharmacy. that way we had the correct med, strength, and directions. we also instituted a 24-48 hr turnaround for rx requests. we stuck to our guns, and we retrained 99% of our patients. i'm a firm believer in the old adage, "poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine."

It depends on if the MA is Registered or Certified. I am a Certified Medical Assistant (AAMA) in Louisiana, but was trained at the University of Alaska, Anchorage for 2 yrs. My last job was $12.24/hr PLUS medical/dental, life ins., short/long term disabilility. That is with 11.5 yrs of experience. Louisiana does not pay well. My salary with my years of experience is about $4.00/hr below the Southeast Regions average salary. That's why I am in school to get my LPN. After that, I'm planning on getting my BSN. Check the AAMA web site for slaray ranges for different states. www.aama-ntl.org Please advise your physician to only hire a Certified or Registered MA.

For nausea, any ginger product will work. I am fond of ginger snap cookies (can't stand ginger ale). A PA I worked with would tell his patients to mix mineral oil and peach nectar and drink it for constipation. From their comments at their next visit, it works pretty good.

I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease a couple of years ago along with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I took fish oil for my triglycerides; it didn't seem to help my arthritis (have had knee surgery in there, too). During all my lab work, I had an abnormal ANA. I put off pursuing that until I got the Lyme under control. This last year, I could barely make it through an 8 hour day at the medical office where I worked because of all the severe joint and muscle pains, so I went to the rheumatologist to f/u on the messed-up ANA. We were able to r/o mixed connective tissue disease, yeah! However, he told me I had fibromyalgia. I was already taking gabapentin, flexeril, and lortab for the Lyme/CFS. He added Cymbalta. Within a week, I had completely quit the lortab and all the Advil I was having to take to make it through a day of work.

:yeah:i'm so happy for you and your new daughter found each other!!!! your thread has had me crying and laughing. it's horrible what you each have endured to get you where you are today. wishing you nothing but love and happiness in the future. :heartbeat

OH the poor patient! I'm in PN school doing Fundamentals I. Today we hit the "pee & poo" chapters. I have to share this with them tomorrow.